As an example, I volunteer for the charity Jami – a mental health service for the Jewish community.

As part of its service, Jami runs a wellbeing cafe, Head Room, in London. It’s an innovative social enterprise combining a coffee shop, vintage boutique and access point, which places mental health in the heart of the Jewish community.

Daniel Neis of Head Room says: ‘The cafe takes the subject of mental health out of an institutional context and into the heart of the community.

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‘We have a wellbeing programme, which has been a great way of getting the community to think about mental health.’

Emma is a member of West London Synagogue, who have supported her. The cafe provides a safe space for people to talk.

Emma says: ‘It has been so touching to see people embrace the opportunity to talk and support each other through something that is so stigmatised.’

So how are other faith communities in the UK challenging the stigma surrounding mental health?

‘In the church it was frowned upon: ‘Christians don’t get depressed’ (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Daniel Heller is from Thrive LDN, an organisation supported by the London Mayor’s Office. It runs Interfaith projects to tackle mental health stigma.

He says: ‘Our mental health event in February had 120 people who came together from different backgrounds to learn more.

‘Our panel was chaired by Rabbi Daniel Epstein and brought together the views of young people, health professionals, and faith community representatives.

‘People were there to find ways of supporting good mental health within their communities.’

I also spoke to people from Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Hindu backgrounds. They all had varying experiences with mental health stigma.

Author Jemma Regis says of her experiences as a Christian with depression: ‘I suffered in silence because depression was misunderstood.

‘Growing up in Caribbean culture, there was no such thing as depression.

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‘In the church it was frowned upon: ‘Christians don’t get depressed’.

‘The stigma was real. It was seen as a weakness of one’s belief in God. ‘

Youth pastor Samuel Alebioshu adds: ‘In having responsibility as a leader, we often fear how the Church community will perceive us if we open up about our struggles and, therefore, we hide behind the mask that everything is OK.

‘We need to do more to start conversations about faith and mental health.’

Rach Pardner says of the positive aspects in her Church: ‘For me, my faith is the only thing that keeps me going at times.

‘My faith is the community that I never used to have, the family there, support that’s difficult to obtain elsewhere. We have a pastoral team’

The communal aspect of faith is important in protecting against stigma but it can also cause it.

In the Muslim, Sikh and Hindu communities though, people are beginning to talk.

As Hashmukh Kerai, a British Hindu says: ‘Dealing with mental health in the Hindu/Indian community has been hard.

‘The stigma meant I couldn’t speak out because there is a culture of being tough and very resilient.

‘Thankfully, I have met inspiring people from my background who have shared their personal stories of mental health.’

Shuranjeet Singh Takhar, a British Sikh and founder of the Taraki campaign, which aims to make it easier for Punjabi men to speak comfortably about mental health, concurs.

‘In UK Sikh communities there is still a culture of silence,’ he says.

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‘Some Sikh men feel unable to discuss mental health openly due to perceptions of masculinity.

‘Younger Sikhs are slowly changing this as it is becoming less stigmatised; I started Taraki after my own personal experiences to help my community be open.’

(Picture: MMUFFIN for Metro.co.uk)

Sana Kardar, an ex-Muslim living in the UK, says: ‘I have been given a list of prayers and chapters of Quran to say from an Imam, that I should recite to make sure that my mental health issues are not inviting the wrath of God. Mostly I have been shunned.’

Campaigner Tamanna Miah, a UK-Bangladeshi Muslim find this also in her work: ‘There is a lot of shame, fear and secrecy because people often worry about their reputation.

‘The stigma is so damaging to people’s lives, it can make people isolated and housebound, unable to do everyday things.’